Eddie Jones says England may never appoint another foreign coach to take charge of the national team; the Australian was reflecting on his seven-year spell in the role ahead of this month’s Rugby World Cup
Last Updated: 01/09/23 11:01am
Eddie Jones says the RFU are responsible for England’s woes rather than his successor as coach, Steve Borthwick
Former England coach Eddie Jones says the RFU must shoulder blame for the national team’s current crisis as they flounder in the build-up to this month’s Rugby World Cup.
England slumped to their first defeat against Fiji last weekend, going down 30-22 at Twickenham – their fifth loss in six games – and have now dropped to eighth in the world rankings, a 20-year low.
While current coach Steve Borthwick has come in for criticism, Jones, who guided England to the last World Cup final in 2019 and is now in charge of his native Australia, has pointed the finger at the English game’s governing body for failing to develop the next generation of talent.
“It’s a difficult situation, like you’ve got an ageing team,” Jones told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “Anyone who knows anything about sport can see that and then you’ve got new players coming in.
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Former England full-back Jason Robinson believes Steve Borthwick’s current squad have a lot of work to do in order to overcome their poor form and succeed at the Rugby World Cup
“Some of them have come through and done really well, like a Freddie Steward, others are still finding their feet, like a Marcus Smith. You look at the results of England over the last five years but they’re not producing quality players.
“So everyone looks at the head coach and let’s blame the head coach. But the onus on producing quality players is the RFU and that hasn’t happened.
England were beaten by Fiji for the first time in their World Cup warm-up at Twickenham last weekend
“You’ve got to look at why you’re not bringing talent through, then you’ve got to look at why your talent development systems are not doing that – because the system’s not right.
“What needs to change? Where’s the gap? That’s the responsibility of the RFU and it’s not for me to give them answers.”
Jones, whose seven-year spell as England coach came to an end when he was sacked nine months ago, could be facing a reunion with his former side if they reach the quarter-finals in France.
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Former Rugby World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi previews England’s chances ahead of the World Cup following some poor form in their warm-up matches
While looking back on his time in the role with fondness, the 63-year-old thinks it quite possible he might go down in history as the last foreign coach to take charge of England.
“I had a fantastic run – seven years for an Australian coaching England,” he reflected. “It’ll never be done again. Maybe there’ll never be a non-Englishman coaching England again.
Freddie Steward has been one of England’s success stories, says Jones
“At the end of the day there’s nothing to argue about, nothing to be disappointed about. Move on, get on with your next job and look back at your previous team with affection, which I still do with England.
“I’m only worried about them if we play them in the quarter-final mode. I like the players and I’d like to see them do well, but obviously not against us. I wouldn’t feel any affection for England at that time, I can tell you.”
